As my term as President of Cardiff Met Students’ Union comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on what has been one of the most rewarding, challenging and unforgettable experiences of my life.
As my term as President of Cardiff Met Students’ Union comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on what has been one of the most rewarding, challenging and unforgettable experiences of my life. It has been an absolute privilege to represent over 12,000 students and work alongside an incredible community of students, staff, elected officers, trustees, university colleagues and external partners who all share the same goal of making Cardiff Met the best possible place to study.
When I was elected, I made three key manifesto promises to students: to improve campus safety, advocate for more affordable and inclusive food options, and address parking challenges at Llandaff Campus. I’m incredibly proud to say that, with the support of the Students’ Union team and the University, I was able to deliver on all these commitments while also leading several initiatives that strengthened student representation, engagement and the overall student experience.
Delivering My Manifesto
Creating a Safer Campus
Student safety was my highest priority from the very beginning of my presidency. This led to the launch of the SU Safety Met campaign, a university-wide initiative designed to raise awareness of personal safety, alcohol and drug awareness, online scams, reporting procedures and the wide range of support services available to students.
Working in partnership with Student Liaison Officers, Victim Support, University Security and colleagues across Cardiff Met, we delivered awareness campaigns, engagement events and practical safety initiatives throughout the year. One of the achievements I am particularly proud of was introducing Bystander Intervention and Sensitivity Training for student leaders across clubs and societies, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to create safer, more inclusive environments for everyone.
The campaign opened important conversations around safety and wellbeing, increased awareness of available support and reinforced our shared responsibility to look after one another as a university community.
Improving Parking at Llandaff Campus
Parking was consistently one of the most common issues raised by commuting students throughout my campaign and presidency. I worked closely with university colleagues to ensure student feedback was heard and reflected in discussions around transport and campus accessibility.
As a result, additional parking spaces were made available at the Llandaff Campus, alongside improved transport options, contributing to the highest number of parking and bus pass permits issued. While there is always more work to do, this represented a significant step forward in improving accessibility for students travelling to campus.
Making Food More Affordable and Inclusive
The rising cost of living continued to affect many students throughout the year, making affordable food one of the priorities identified through student feedback.
Working collaboratively with university colleagues and catering services, I advocated for maintaining affordable food prices while expanding the range of options available across campus. This resulted in additional warm meal choices, improved vegan options and a wider variety of inclusive food choices, helping ensure students had access to affordable meals that catered to different dietary requirements.
Seeing these three manifesto commitments become tangible improvements for students is something I will always be incredibly proud of.
Representing the Student Voice
Representing students has been at the heart of everything I have done this year.
As President, I had the privilege of representing over 12,000 students while serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees and a Student Governor. These roles allowed me to contribute directly to strategic discussions and ensure that student voices were represented at every level of university decision-making.
Whether attending Board meetings, Academic Board, committees or working groups, I always aimed to ensure that decisions reflected the experiences, concerns and aspirations of our students.
One of the highlights of the year was leading Speak Week, one of the Students' Union's largest engagement campaigns. Working alongside Students' Union staff, student representatives and university departments, we created opportunities for students to provide honest feedback about their academic and university experiences.
The campaign achieved one of the highest engagements levels the Students' Union has seen, generating valuable insight that informed discussions around wellbeing, academic support and campus life while strengthening collaboration between students and the University.
Strengthening Student Democracy
One achievement that stands out for me was chairing the first quorate Annual General Meeting in over ten years, with approximately 260 students attending.
It was inspiring to see so many students actively engaging with the democratic processes of their Students' Union. This milestone demonstrated that when students are given meaningful opportunities to participate, they are willing to engage and shape the future of their Union.
Supporting Student Wellbeing
Supporting student wellbeing remained a priority throughout the year.
I worked alongside Students' Union staff and university colleagues to support campaigns including:
- Advice and Wellbeing Week
- SHAG Week
- Take a Brew, Take a Break
- Paws on Campus
These campaigns encouraged conversations around wellbeing, mental health and sexual health while ensuring students knew where to access support whenever they needed it.
During SHAG Week, we helped distribute over 24,000 sexual health resources across our campuses, increasing awareness of support services and encouraging positive conversations around sexual health and wellbeing.
Supporting Prospective and New Students
One of the most rewarding parts of being President was representing Cardiff Metropolitan University to prospective students and helping new students begin their university journey.
Throughout the year I represented both Cardiff Met and the Students' Union during Open Days, Applicant Days, Welcome Week, enrolment activities and school outreach events.
I had the opportunity to visit Cantonian High School, where I shared my own journey into higher education, spoke about the opportunities available at Cardiff Met and encouraged prospective students to pursue their ambitions.
During Welcome Week, I delivered presentations introducing new students to the Students' Union, explained the services and opportunities available to them, and helped students navigate the transition into university life by signposting them to relevant support services.
Supporting International Students
As an international student myself, supporting other international students has been especially meaningful.
Working closely with the Global Lounge, Student Services and as a member of the International Staff Network, I helped students settle into life at Cardiff Met by supporting them through enrolment, opening bank accounts, accessing university services and connecting them with the right support teams.
Helping students feel welcomed, included and confident as they started this new chapter was one of the most rewarding aspects of my presidency.
Building Strong Partnerships
None of these achievements would have been possible without collaboration.
Throughout the year I worked closely with senior university leaders, academic schools, professional services, Student Liaison Officers, Victim Support, external organisations and Students' Union colleagues to deliver meaningful improvements for students such as Disabled Student Commitment, and Student Relationship meetings.
Building positive relationships across the University allowed us to turn student feedback into action and create lasting change.
Looking back, I feel incredibly grateful for everything this year has taught me.
Serving as President has challenged me to grow as a leader, communicator and advocate. More importantly, it has given me the opportunity to meet inspiring students, work alongside dedicated colleagues and contribute to positive changes that I hope will benefit students long after my term has ended.
I would like to sincerely thank every student who shared their ideas, attended an event, completed a survey, challenged us to do better or simply stopped for a conversation around campus. Your voices have shaped every decision we have made.
To the Students' Union staff, my fellow Student Officers and Representatives, trustees, university colleagues, thank you for your support, collaboration and belief in what we could achieve together.
It has been the greatest honour of my university journey to serve as your President.
Although my term is coming to an end, I leave knowing that together we have created meaningful change, strengthened the student voice and built a more inclusive, supportive and student-focused Cardiff Met community.
Thank you, Cardiff Met!